Refrigerating device with height-adjustable carrier for refrigerated goods

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a refrigeration device having a thermally insulating housing delimiting an interior space and a height-adjustable carrier for supporting refrigerated goods within the interior space. The refrigeration device also includes a threaded spindle having a threaded extent having a substantially vertical axis, the threaded spindle being rotatably driven such that its threaded extent rotates about the axis and the threaded spindle being operationally connected with the refrigerated goods carrier such that a rotational movement of the threaded extent of the threaded spindle effects a height adjusting displacement of the refrigerated goods carrier.

The present invention relates to a refrigerating device having an innerchamber enclosed by a thermally insulated housing and aheight-adjustable carrier for refrigerated goods in the inner chamber.Such a refrigerating device, in which a carrier for refrigerated goodsis manually height-adjustable on a vertical support rail attached to therear wall of the housing is, for example, known from DE 101 45 141 A1.

A problem with this known refrigerating device is that, for adjustingthe height of the carrier for refrigerated goods it is necessary to tiltsaid carrier for refrigerated goods slightly which incurs the risk thatobjects placed on the carrier for refrigerated goods may slip and that auser, when wishing to release the carrier for refrigerated goods from adetent shoulder and suspend said carrier for refrigerated goods on adifferent detent shoulder, in the meantime has to support the entireweight of the carrier for refrigerated goods and the objects which havepossibly been placed thereon. As a result, before the height adjustment,the user is frequently obliged to empty the carrier for refrigeratedgoods which is tiresome, in that the need to adjust the height of thecarrier for refrigerated goods primarily occurs when it is loaded andthe user determines that it has to be positioned at a different heightin order to accommodate more refrigerated goods, whether on the carrierfor refrigerated goods or thereunder.

It is, therefore, the object of the invention to provide a refrigeratingdevice which allows the height adjustment of a carrier for refrigeratedgoods in the horizontal position, without the user having to support theweight of the carrier for refrigerated goods and objects which havepossibly been placed thereon.

The object is achieved by the carrier for refrigerated goods being inthreaded engagement with at least one vertical threaded spindle whichmay be rotationally driven. By rotating the threaded spindle, a parallelheight adjustment of the carrier for refrigerated goods is achieved,whilst the weight thereof is received by the threaded spindle and/or thebearing arrangement thereof in the housing of the refrigerating device.

The threaded spindle may be rotationally driven manually, but for a morecomfortable embodiment, said threaded spindle is rotationally driven bya motor.

In order to prevent a height adjustment of the carrier for refrigeratedgoods beyond a set height range, at least one limit switch actuated bythe carrier for refrigerated goods is preferably arranged on thethreaded spindle, preferably two limit switches which limit the freedomof movement of the carrier for refrigerated goods both upwards anddownwards.

Expediently, the threaded spindle is coupled via a worm to a horizontaloutput shaft of the motor.

Due to the improved stability, the carrier for refrigerated goods ispreferably supported on two threaded spindles, which should berotationally coupled in order to ensure uniform height adjustment of thecarrier for refrigerated goods on both threaded spindles.

The rotational coupling may be created by a worm being associated witheach spindle, and the two worms are attached fixedly in terms ofrotation to a common shaft.

Said common shaft may, at the same time, be the output shaft of themotor; preferably said common shaft is coupled to the output shaft ofthe motor via a belt drive, in particular via a toothed belt.

The threaded spindle is preferably received in a vertical guide grooveattached to a wall of the housing, and namely preferably in an undercutof the guide groove, so that it is not visible from the outside.

The guide groove is preferably provided on one part of its length, whichpreferably does not form part of the adjusting region of the carrier forrefrigerated goods acting on the threaded spindle, with detent shouldersfor engaging a further carrier for refrigerated goods.

Further features and advantages of the invention emerge from thefollowing description of embodiments with reference to the accompanyingfigures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of the body of a refrigeratingdevice according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a partial section through the body along a first horizontalplane;

FIG. 3 shows a partial section along a second horizontal plane;

FIG. 4 shows a horizontal partial section which shows the attachment ofthe motor according to a first embodiment; and

FIG. 5 shows a horizontal partial section which shows the attachment ofthe motor according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 1 shows, in a perspective view, a body 1 of a refrigerating deviceaccording to the present invention. A door hinged to the open front faceof the body 1 is omitted in the figure. On the right-hand edge of therear wall 2, a vertical support rail 3 incorporated in the rear wall 2may be seen, a plurality of support arms 5, 6 engaging in the inlet slot4 thereof which is open towards the inner chamber. A correspondingsupport rail 3 with support arms 5, 6 is incorporated on the left-handedge of the rear wall 2, hidden in the figure by a side wall of the body1. Each pair of support arms 5, 6 of the same height carries a shelfplate 7, shown to be transparent in the figure and able to be producedas plates made of safety glass. The lower support arms 6 respectivelyrest on detent shoulders, which are concealed in the interior of thesupport rails 3.

FIG. 2 shows a partial section through the rear wall 2 of the body 1 andthe surroundings thereof in one plane above the support arms 5. As maybe seen in this section, the support rails 3 respectively have anundercut guide groove 9, in the undercut 10 of the guide groove 9 athreaded spindle 8 extending vertically and being in engagement with aninternal thread, which is formed on a region of the support arm 5projecting into the undercut 10. The thread pitch of the spindle 8 issmall, so that the spindle is not set in rotation by the weight of thesupport arm 5 loading said spindle and the load carried thereby.

On a side wall of the left-hand support rail 3 an opening is formedthrough which a pushbutton 11 of a limit switch 12 attached externallyto the support rail 3 engages in the guide groove 9. When the supportarm 5 reaches the pushbutton 11, said support rail presses saidpushbutton out of the guide groove 9 and thereby opens a contact of thelimit switch 12, details being given below of the function thereof.

FIG. 3 shows a partial section similar to FIG. 2 at a higher level,adjacent to the top of the body 1. In this case, at the upper end of thethreaded spindle 8, one respective worm wheel 13 is arranged fixedly interms of rotation thereon, which meshes with a worm 14 and forms theworm gear. The two worms 14 are carried by a common shaft 15 whichrotationally couples the spindles 8 to one another and thereby ensuresthat the two support arms 5 always carry out the same verticaldisplacements.

According to a first embodiment and as shown in FIG. 4, the shaft 15 issimultaneously the output shaft of an electric motor 16. In order to beable to guide the shaft 15 in a space-saving manner closely adjacent tothe rear wall 2, the electric motor 16 is partially received in a recessof the rear wall 2. The motor 16 and the shaft 15 are separated by aplastics shell 17 from the inner chamber of the refrigerating device.

As a result of a second embodiment shown in FIG. 5 in a similar sectionto FIG. 4, the common shaft 15 of the worms 14 is coupled to an electricmotor 16 via a toothed belt drive 18 which is formed from a pinion 19mounted on the shaft 15 and a pinion 20 on an output shaft of the motor16, and is designed to be speed reducing. This embodiment makes itpossible to guide the shaft 15 closely adjacent to the rear wall 2 ofthe body without a recess having to be provided therein for the motor16.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5, the electric motor 16 isrespectively arranged between the two worms 14 on the shaft 15. Inparticular in the case of the motor coupled via the toothed belt 18,however, it is also conceivable to arrange the pinion 19 on an extension21 of the shaft 15 (see FIG. 3) projecting beyond the worms 14 towardsan adjacent side wall of the body 1 and to accommodate the motor 16,together with a worm 14 and the gear wheel 13 driven thereby, in acommon housing.

The electric motor 16 may be switched on and off via a switch, notshown, and may be controlled in its rotational direction. The limitswitch 12 is arranged in series with said switch, in order to cancel anadjusting movement of the support arms 5, as soon as said support armsreach an upper or lower limit of their permissible adjusting rangeindicated by the limiting switch 12.

1-11. (canceled)
 12. A refrigerating device comprising: a.) a thermallyinsulating housing delimiting an interior space; b.) a height-adjustablecarrier for supporting refrigerated goods within the interior space; andc.) a threaded spindle having a threaded extent rotatable about asubstantially vertical axis, the threaded spindle being rotatably drivensuch that its threaded extent rotates about the axis and the threadedspindle being operationally connected with the refrigerated goodscarrier such that a rotational movement of the threaded extent of thethreaded spindle effects a height adjusting displacement of therefrigerated goods carrier.
 13. The refrigerating device as claimed inclaim 12, wherein the threaded spindle is rotationally driven by amotor.
 14. The refrigerating device as claimed in claim 13 and furthercomprising at least one limit switch actuated by the carrier forrefrigerated goods and disposed on the threaded spindle.
 15. Therefrigerating device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the threadedspindle is coupled via a worm drive to a horizontal output shaft of themotor.
 16. The refrigerating device as claimed in claim 12, wherein thecarrier for refrigerated goods is supported on two rotationally coupledthreaded spindles.
 17. The refrigerating device as claimed in claim 16,wherein a worm drive is associated with each threaded spindle and thetwo worms are operatively coupled to a common shaft operable to effectsynchronized rotations of the two worms.
 18. The refrigerating device asclaimed in claim 17, wherein the common shaft is the output shaft of amotor for rotationally driving the threaded spindles and the motor isconfigured as a geared motor.
 19. The refrigerating device as claimed inclaim 17, wherein the common shaft is coupled to the output shaft of amotor for rotationally driving the threaded spindles via a belt drive.20. The refrigerating device as claimed in claim 12, wherein thethreaded spindle is received in a vertical guide groove attached to awall of the thermally insulated housing.
 21. The refrigerating device asclaimed in claim 20, wherein the guide groove includes an undercut andthe threaded spindle is disposed in the undercut.
 22. The refrigeratingdevice as claimed in claim 20, wherein the guide groove has detentshoulders along an extent thereof for engaging a second carrier forrefrigerated goods that is not supported on the threaded spindle.